The IAAF descended deeper into crisis on Sunday night with another senior official at the world governing body under investigation amid allegations of corruption.

A fresh scandal exposed by doping investigators at German broadcaster ARD, and published by The Sunday Times, suggests IAAF council member David Okeyo was among three Kenyan athletics officials who allegedly siphoned more than £450,000 from money paid to Athletics Kenya as part of their sponsorship deal with Nike.

Okeyo, AK’s vice-president and former secretary-general, AK chairman Isaiah Kiplagat and former treasurer Joseph Kinyua have been questioned by police in Kenya amid accusations that they paid themselves, mostly in cash, from the national federation’s bank account.

IAAF council member David Okeyo has been questioned by police in Kenya as a fresh scandal emerges

At a time when Kenyan athletics is already in the spotlight over a rash of positive tests, there are further claims that when Nike renegotiated their deal with AK in 2003 ‘honoraria’ payments were promised to the same three officials.

The IAAF released a statement yesterday, saying: ‘We were not aware of the investigation into Mr Okeyo in Kenya and the information has immediately been passed on to the independent IAAF ethics commission.

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‘As part of the root and branch governance reform project that (president) Sebastian Coe has announced, there will be new processes introduced to ensure all appointments to IAAF commissions and advisory groups in the future have been duly vetted and declared as ‘fit and proper persons’ to hold office.

‘Over 200 people were due to be appointed to new commissions and advisory groups at the council meeting at the end of this month but their appointment will now be delayed until the new procedures are in place.’

Former IAAF president Lamine Diack is already being investigated by French police

Diack talks with Lord Sebastian Coe, who has come under more pressure after another IAAF scandal

Lord Coe has so far refused to stand down from his £100,000-a-year position as an ambassador of Nike

Former IAAF president Lamine Diack, his son Papa Massata Diack, legal advisor Habib Cisse and the former IAAF anti-doping chief Gabriel Dolle are already being investigated by French police over allegations that they accepted bribes to cover up the positive tests of Russian drug cheats.

The IAAF will hold a disciplinary hearing in London next month after the governing body charged Papa Massata Diack, Valentin Balakhnichev, Alexei Melnikov and Dolle with alleged breaches of the IAAF code of ethics.

But the fact that a member of the same council that voted for the suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation is now under investigation causes further embarrassment to the organisation and its president.

Lord Coe has so far refused to stand down from his £100,000-a-year position as an ambassador of Nike but now the American sportswear giant finds itself linked to a police corruption inquiry in Kenya.

There was further discomfort for Coe on Sunday in the form of a connection between the president and one of Russian Athletics’ leading sponsors.

While Coe’s representatives insist he has always declared any potential conflict of interest under the rules of the IAAF code of ethics, it has been highlighted that CSM — the international sports marketing firm Coe leads as executive chairman — counts leading Russian Athletics sponsor Gazprom among its clients.

Diack certainly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle before standing down, at the age of 82, in the summer

It may also concern Coe that Russian officials already have a date in mind for the return to international athletics.

The Russian Federation have been told they must become WADA code-compliant before any suspension is lifted but Mikhail Butov, general secretary of the Russian Federation, has said he is ‘optimistic’ they will be back by February — in time for the World Indoor Championships in March in Portland, Oregon.

That would surely please Nike when their headquarters is close by in Beaverton and Russia is among their sponsored teams.

Sportsmail has asked the IAAF to clarify the issue of ‘honoraria’ payments for the IAAF president after being told Diack was paid a daily honorarium of around £450 a day. In his 16 years as president that would have amounted to around £160,000 a year for an supposedly unpaid role.

Diack certainly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle before standing down, at 82, in the summer. In addition to payments received, he inherited a serviced, £10,000-a-month apartment at the luxury Fairmont Hotel in Monaco from predecessor Primo Nebiolo.

But it is understood some council members were concerned when Diack revealed in August that he had been paid what amounted to a full-time salary for serving as president.

The IAAF declined to comment on the issue but Diack’s personal expenditure is expected to come under review.

The fact Coe is not paid by the IAAF has been given as a reason why he has not relinquished his role at Nike and in fairness to the under-fire president, he has already terminated the contract for the apartment at the Fairmont.

Nevertheless, pressure on Coe and the governing body remains, with UK Athletics chief Ed Warner accusing them of being too soft on Russia.

Warner told the BBC: ‘The benefits of the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs persist well beyond, for example, a two-year ban.’